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Library - Handbook - General Barcode Information

Items and patrons are barcoded to facilitate automation. INFOhio's library automation system uses Codabar and Code 39 (aka Code 3 of 9 mode 10 with 1 check digit) barcodes. When item or patron barcodes are generated, they must be one of these two types and must include the entire 14-digit number with the check-digit intact. When providing barcode symbology information to vendors, indicate that INFOhio uses Code 39.

The unique eight-digit portion of the item and patron barcodes are assigned by library employees. This is a potential problem if different buildings assign duplicate item and patron record numbers. The easiest way to avoid this is by taking the entire range of numbers available in the district and dividing them between the buildings. The largest unique number which can be assigned is 14,999,999.

Example:

Since the first digit of the 14-digits is either 2 or 3, the item and patron record numbers become unique by definition. This, then, will allow up to 15,000,000 numbers to be assigned for each record type.

Example of an item barcode number for institution code 2654 with unique number 129,001 and the check-digit of 8:

Smart barcodes are already known by the computer system for which they are intended. The barcode number is assigned to an item or patron before being printed. Since the item or patron number has already been assigned, the barcode label can include the name of the title or the name of the patron. Smart barcodes for items can often be ordered from vendors supplying MARC records. Once the starting number is assigned, the companies will keep track of the material number ranges and automatically continue with the next available number on any new order request unless otherwise specified. (It is the responsibility of the library/media staff, not LNOCA, to keep track of the barcode ranges assigned to vendors.) It is important to provide a wide range of numbers so the vendor will be able to automatically track barcode numbers over a period of years. The library must supply the vendor with their 4-digit Institution Code. It is recommended to set aside blocks of item numbers for each vendor. This is shown below by dividing blocks of numbers already assigned to locations (above example). These ranges can then be given to the vendor for smart barcode generation.

If the high school is assigned the 100,000 - 199,999 range, here's an example of how to divide it among vendors:

Dumb barcodes are printed first and then assigned to an item or patron. Since the title or patron name is not known at the time of printing, they will not include this information. Dumb barcodes are easily purchased commercially through vendors such as RACO Industries.

Patron barcode records may be loaded from your student information system or staff employment files. For Member school systems utilizing the LNOCA's Student Information System, this information is automatically exported from the student information system and loaded into Sirsi by a nightly procedure, leaving the production of smart barcodes to the library. For Independent school systems, please review the LNOCA Policy for Independent Schools regarding the patron file format for library automation.